


Model Citizen

by Anatemnein



Category: Designing Women
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 04:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20772701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anatemnein/pseuds/Anatemnein
Summary: The ladies are surprised to be chosen to model for the Fall fashion line at their local mall.





	1. Chapter 1

~~~~

"Suzanne, how many times do I have to tell you not to use my sketchbook to paint your nails on?"

"What?" asked Suzanne, looking up briefly from her spot on the sofa.

Mary Jo waved her sketchbook in the air at Suzanne's face, huffing in annoyance. "This, Suzanne, this sketchbook! I'm tired of showing up to business meetings only to find a pink smear of glitter nail polish on the back cover of my stuff!"

"Suzanne," Julia hissed from her place behind the counter, "haven't I told you NOT to do that anymore? In fact, we first had this conversation when you painted all over the folder of Anthony's business contracts when he became partner in Sugarbaker's, we should NOT be having it again!"

"Well can't Mary Jo just buy another sketchbook?"

"SUZANNE!"

"Oh alright!" Suzanne snapped, whacking her hand on her lap. "For god sake, Julia, ever since you started dating Anthony you've become virtually intolerable" she grumbled.

"Excuse me, what do you mean by intolerable?" Julia asked icily, placing both hands on the counter as she locked eyes with Suzanne.

"I mean that I always have to hear about past wrongs from you just because he's your boyfriend. 'Suzanne, remember the time you shot Anthony?', 'Suzanne, remember the time you voted against Anthony making partner?', 'Suzanne, remember when you ruined his business contracts?'. It's always 'Anthony this' and Anthony that', and I, for one, am sick of it."

"Suzanne, I am telling you this with all the good sense and grace that I have in me to use on you--if you keep pushing my buttons this morning, please understand that I will run you over with my car and dismember you!" Julia snapped.

Mary Jo whirled her head around in surprise, looking at Julia in alarm. "Good grief, Julia, it's just a sketchbook, no need to kill anyone."

Julia hesitated for a moment before shifting slightly, grabbing a cucumber off the counter and cutting into it. "Of course, my apologies" she mumbled, going back to making her lunch.

"I'm sorry, Mary Jo" Suzanne mumbled from her place on the sofa.

Mary Jo nodded in her direction and got up from her chair, sitting down on one of the stools in front of the counter and looking at Julia carefully. "Everything alright, Julia, you're usually not so testy..." she said carefully.

Julia nodded, waving a hand at Mary Jo. "I'm fine, Mary Jo, just...frustrated. Anthony's had to cancel another of our lunch dates because of those stupid clients of ours, and it's really starting to get under my skin."

"He can't help that, Julia" Mary Jo said, cocking her head sympathetically.

Julia closed the jar of mayonnaise and shoved it back in the fridge. "I know, Mary Jo, I'm not mad at Anthony. I could just kill those idiots."

Mary Jo looked at Julia carefully, checking over her shoulder to make sure Suzanne wasn't listening, before leaning forward and saying quietly, "Canceled a couple of evening dates as well, didn't he?"

Julia blushed a deep shade of red, shooting Mary Jo a glare before relenting and muttering, "Yeah" as she stabbed at her salad.

Mary Jo smirked, turning around as the door opened behind them.

"Hey y'all!" Charlene called out happily, breezing in through the front door and waving a flyer at them, "look what I've got, this is so exciting!"

"What is it, Charlene?" Julia called, walking over to the sofa as she took another bite of salad.

"You'll never guess what's going on at our local mall this weekend!" she squealed, rushing excitedly over to the chair near the sofa and taking a seat as she wiggled the flyer anxiously.

"What is it?" Mary Jo asked as she plopped down in the chair opposite Charlene's.

Charlene held the flyer up in front of her as she said, "This week...at our mall...they're scouting...for modellllss!" She squealed again, shaking the flyer as she danced in her chair.

Julia and the others exchanged confused glances before she said, "Well, so what, Charlene, none of us have ever modeled and we're all certainly considered 'too old' in the industry."

Charlene looked at Julia plainly and said, "It's not that kind of modeling, Julia. The Dillard's in our mall is holding a casting call for their new fall line, and they want ladies our age! Regular people, not airbrushed goddesses! This would be perfect for us."

"Oh yeah, sure," Mary Jo said sarcastically, "I know I've always told myself, 'You know, Mary Jo, at 5 foot 1 inch you'd be the perfect model'."

Charlene shot her a look and said, "They don't care about that Mary Jo, the flyer says 'for women of all sizes and ages'. Plus, I talked to one of the guys there, and he said they really do want real women, so height won't matter!"

"Well, you can count me out, Charlene, I have to take Consuela to the store to get new shoes so I won't have time" Suzanne said, going back to filing her nails.

"Charlene, this is ridiculous. I mean, in the first place, none of us have modeled or even considered the thought, and in the second place they always say they want real women, but they almost never mean it."

"Julia, I told you, I asked the manager there and he said they do. If they wanted actual models they could easily hire some, there's a reason he's handing out flyers locally. Besides, you know as well as I do that you turn heads all the time, and have been offered before to pose for pictures."

Julia blushed and shifted uncomfortably, setting her empty plate down as Mary Jo cackled in her seat. "That's true, Julia. You remember the fan base you had when those construction workers were set up across the street a couple years ago? I mean, they whistled every time you so much as opened the door."

"Mary Jo!" Julia said, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

"Well it's true, Julia!" Charlene agreed quickly. "You get told all the time how beautiful you are...especially by Anthony."

A soft smile crossed Julia's face as she looked at the ground. That much was true, undoubtedly. Anthony was never shy about telling her how attractive he found her, and was always trying to help her overcome her insecurities about her appearance. She had realized, also, the other day, that her battle with depression was a lot easier than it had been for years before. Unbeknownst to her friends, she had spent some weekends feeling so lonely--and exhausted by the heaviness of her inner turmoil--that she was barely able to get out of bed. She hadn't had a weekend like that in months, and when Anthony first found out about them, he'd simply driven himself over to her house, let himself in her front door, and laid down next to her in bed so he could hold her.

"Charlene...," Julia said softly, smiling still and looking bashfully at the ground, "that's not the point..."

"Yes, yes it is, Julia! Now Mary Jo and I are going to go, and you know as well as I do you belong there just like we do."

"She is right, Julia" Mary Jo agreed, nodding her head swiftly.

Julia hesitated for a moment, fiddling with her hair shyly before she said, "Alright, fine, we'll go this weekend, all three of us. What day is it?"

Charlene squealed with excitement as she said, "Saturday at 2. They want us to look dressy, but not formal."

"Alright" Julia said, rolling her eyes at the idea. She still thought it was ridiculous, but knew that Anthony had to meet with their clients on Saturday, and she figured doing something was better than sitting at home sulking again.

Just then, the front door opened, and Anthony stepped inside, saying "Hey everybody" as he walked swiftly over to his desk. "Julia, I just stopped in to grab some decorating magazines and to see if you wanted to come with me to the fabric store, cause I have to get some swatches for those chairs I'm doing."

"Well, sure hun, I have to run to the bank anyway, is that fine?"

"Sure!"

"Suzanne, are you not going with Anthony to help at all today?" Julia asked sternly, throwing her a glare as she slid into her jacket and grabbed their petty cash bag from her desk.

"Well, I told Suzanne to just sit this meeting out. It's just the boys, and they can get kinda rowdy, so I'll handle them on my own, and she'll come with me this Saturday to--hopefully--finish up."

"Yep" Suzanne remarked from her seat, not looking up from her nails.

"Well, alright Anthony, I'll see y'all in a little while" she called over her shoulder as Anthony closed the door behind them.

Mary Jo smiled as she walked slowly back over to her desk. "Wonder how Anthony's gonna take to having a model for a girlfriend" she said curiously.

"Oh, Anthony brags about Julia all the time, it won't be a problem" Charlene answered, sitting down behind her desk and grabbing some invoices.

Suzanne lifted a hand and studied her nails carefully as she said, "Well whatever happens, I can't wait to not hear about it."

"Suzanne!" Mary Jo and Charlene snapped in unison, watching her smirk to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

The van drove swiftly down the street as Anthony looked over at Julia, cocking a brow at her. "So, baby, how's work today? I miss anything good?"

"Oh, nothing exciting. I got that check from the Rochester's this morning, so we've come into some money for our hard work, finally."

"It's been a good fall for us this year" Anthony said, nodding as he looked ahead.

"Thankfully" Julia agreed, leaning her arm on the armrest and scooting closer to him. "Oh, well, I guess there is one other thing" she said shyly, still not sure how to tell him about this weekend's adventure. He was never one to get jealous about things, but Reese had been, and a few boyfriends before him had as well, and the memories made Julia somewhat hesitant to tell Anthony about their plans.

"What other thing?" he asked, glancing curiously at her.

"Well...well Charlene wants us all to go to Dillard's this weekend for some casting call to see if we'll be chosen to model for their fall line. Some nonsense about them wanting to use real women this year."

"Really?" Anthony said, smiling slowly at her.

"Oh, I know it's ridiculous, but you know how Charlene is--"

"What's ridiculous?"

"Well, you know, the idea of me modeling, Anthony."

"And how, pray tell, is that ridiculous?"

"Well...well, I'm too old, for starters--"

"Not if they want to represent real women."

"I don't know the first thing about modeling--"

"You're a fast learner."

"And I'm not...well..."

"Not what?" Anthony asked as he pulled up to the window at the bank and waited for the teller to address them.

"Well, you know, models have a certain look, you know, sexy/cute, perfect features, and I just don't fit the mold" she said, shaking her head and chuckling as she fluffed her hair self consciously.

Anthony stared at her blankly, not saying anything until she finally said, "...What?"

"Nothing, I was just waiting for you to quit talking nonsense" he said plainly.

"Anthony" she said, stifling a giggle and blushing as she looked away.

"What? You know how I feel about your looks, if you want to keep putting yourself down I can't change that, but I think you know what I would tell you to do."

"To go ahead and try my luck and see if they pick me?"

"That's right" he said, turning to the teller and handing her their petty cash bag and requesting the necessary denominations before turning back to Julia. "I'll be busy with Suzanne Saturday anyway, so you might as well try something new instead of sulking around the house all day."

"What makes you think I've been sulking?" Julia asked, looking at him, feeling somewhat miffed.

"Cause I know you, Julia. And I know that when I miss a few lunch dates, and a few romantic evenings..." he said, trailing off and lifting a suggestive eyebrow, "that you sit at home and sulk, and I'm telling you, why not do something else?"

Julia shifted self-consciously and rolled her eyes before looking back at him. "I guess I do have a few bad habits that I could work on" she muttered.

"Starting with putting yourself down all the time, which we've talked about" Anthony said.

"I know" she sighed, feeling like a child receiving a scolding and hating it.

"Look, baby, I'm not trying to talk down to you, I'm just saying that your confidence needs work, and only you can change that. I can't love your insecurities out of you."

Julia looked at her lap for a moment before nodding. "You're right" she said softly.

"Plus, if they do pick you, I get to tell everyone I'm dating a model, so really, it's a win-win for both of us" Anthony said, nodding his head swiftly as he retrieved their petty cash bag from the teller and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Let's not jump the gun, Anthony, nobody's picked me yet."

"Oh, but they will. I've seen what Atlanta has to offer when I was single, and believe me--it ain't much."

Julia giggled as she whacked him, leaning her head against his shoulder as they drove on to the fabric store.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can you believe all these people?" Charlene whispered excitedly, shuffling in through the glass doors as Mary Jo and Julia trailed behind her. "There must be at least a hundred women here!"

"Well, Charlene, I'm sure a lot of women would love to be chosen to be featured as part of a Dillard's line, that's why it's important that we don't get our hopes up" Julia said, looking around at the swarm of people around them. So many of them, she noticed, were younger, much younger than her, and for a moment she felt a stab of insecurity, but she inhaled deeply, remembering her talk with Anthony, and decided to put her best foot forward regardless.

"It'll take forever to get out of this place" Mary Jo muttered, looking around hopelessly. "Maybe we should just leave."

"No! No, Mary Jo, we said we were going to step out of our shells and try something new, now come on!" Charlene argued, looking at her pointedly.

They sat down, watching as a few men in dark slacks and shirts went around the room, thinning the crowd fairly quickly as they selected a few and dispensed of even more, hopeless women filing out one after another as the three of them watched nervously. Finally, a young, no-nonsense looking man with a head set sitting atop his spiky hair came over to them and looked them over carefully before saying, "You come together?"

"Yes we did" Julia answered quickly, meeting his eyes with a steely gaze of her own.

He nodded, jotting something down with his pencil before looking back up and saying, "You three, all of you, can you come in for a session tomorrow morning? I think you could work."

"You do?" Mary Jo asked in shock, lifting her eyebrows.

"We've got some slots in ladies wear we haven't filled yet and the three of you have the look we want. Tomorrow, 10 o'clock" he said, handing them each a slip of paper and disappearing behind the remaining throng of women who hadn't yet been spoken to.

"We...we got CHOSEN!" Mary Jo cried, bouncing excitedly.

"Oh my god, y'all, we're models!" Charlene chirped, grabbing Mary Jo and bouncing with her as they stood, Julia watching them with a wry smirk as she grabbed her things.

"You all, I'm sure there will be another round, let's don't take it so seriously" she said, nudging them as they stepped out into the parking lot.

"No Julia," Charlene retorted as they made their way toward their cars, "this slip says we're in, he said they had spots in ladies wear, remember?"

Julia shook her head, trying to hide a smirk as she opened her car door. "Meet you all here, 10 o'clock tomorrow mornin'?" she said, trying her best not to get carried away with them.

"Definitely!" Charlene squealed, walking arm in arm with Mary Jo to their cars.

A few hours rolled by and Julia was standing behind the sink in her kitchen, rinsing off her dinner dishes and wiping off the counters as she hummed softly to herself. The piercing trill of her telephone cut through the silence, and she walked over to the receiver quickly, catching it on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, baby, how you?" Anthony asked playfully.

Julia giggled and leaned against the wall. "I'm fine, darlin', how're you?"

"I have managed to scoot away from our clients for a moment, and am making this call in secret in one of the empty office suites, so I am, as they say in the biz, 'undercover'" he said, hearing her giggle on the other end.

"You shouldn't be goofing off at work, Anthony."

"Mm-hm, are you going to tell me about your casting call today? Am I the boyfriend of a top model or what?"

Julia laughed and shook her head. "Anthony, I'd hardly call posing for Dillard's 'top model', but since you were kind enough to ask, it went well, and yes we did get chosen, all three of us."

"So I AM dating a model" Anthony said, his voice taking on a tone of awe and pride.

"Anthony..."

"What? You think my childhood self ever thought I'd make it to the right side of the tracks and wind up dating a supermodel? I must say, I'm very turned on by this."

"Anthony!" Julia said, hearing him chuckle in her ear. "You are still at work, need I remind you?"

"Yeah, but I'm also dating a cover girl, so I'll take my chances."

Julia rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself. "Will I be seeing you tomorrow at all?"

Anthony shook his head, knowing she was smiling to herself in spite of her attempts to sound indifferent and professional. "Unfortunately not, baby. These clients are stalling and can't figure out what the hell they want."

Julia bit her lip in disappointment. "Oh, well okay."

"I'm sorry, baby, I wish I could" Anthony said, feeling a deep twinge of guilt at having to disappoint her again.

"It's okay, " Julia said, trying to sound good-natured, "now get back to your work and behave yourself."

"Oh, I save the misbehaving for when I'm with you, Ms. Sugarbaker."

"Anthony!" Julia cried, trying to stifle and giggle as she shifted. If there was anything Anthony could do, it was get under her skin in a way that no one else ever had, and secretly, she loved it.

"See you bright and early Monday morning?"

"Yes, Anthony, I'll have our breakfast ready."

"I love you, good lookin'."

"I love you too, Anthony, you handsome devil" she said blushing at her own flirtatiousness.

They bid one another goodnight and Julia hung up the receiver, slowly making her way upstairs to take a bath. She had to admit that, in spite of her earlier reservations, her curiosity was getting the better of her, and she wondered what tomorrow morning had in store for them.


	4. Chapter 4

Julia folded her hands shyly in front of her as she sat patiently in the make up chair, the artist putting a few quick finishing touches on her face before stepping away. Julia leaned forward curiously, eyeing herself carefully in the mirror, looking carefully at her smokey eyes and dark lashes, offset by a dark swath of lipstick. It was like looking at a stranger, a stranger with perfect hair and a face whose makeup had been so deftly applied it looked airbrushed.

Charlene leaned over toward Julia from her chair to the left and whispered, "Oh my gosh, Julia, you look so good!"

"Mm-hm!" Mary Jo hummed in agreement from the other side, trying not to move as the hair and makeup team began their process on her.

"It's certainly more than I'm used to" Julia said softly, marveling at how different she looked.

"Oh please, you always look perfectly made up, stop being modest" Charlene said, climbing out of her chair to grab a few more snacks from the snack table behind them.

Julia turned to watch as the lighting and camera set up was being fussed over, people scurrying here and there to ensure even the first shot would be perfect. The circumstances, she had to admit, were fussier than she had expected for a department store whose local branch was the only one attempting to use local women for their advertising. She had expected a lone, skeevy looking photographer clutching a Polaroid to emerge from the shadows and snap a few shots while muttering to himself, but what she'd found when she came in earlier this morning was a handsomely lit studio with several photographers and even more assistants running the show. The three of them had received their own section to shoot and be made up in, and were immediately descended upon by the hair and makeup team, while the stylists artfully arranged racks of clothes for each of them.

A young man with dark hair and a close shave interrupted Julia's reverie as he said, "You ready to try something on, hun?"

"Oh, uh, yes, yes of course" Julia stammered, awkwardly following behind him. As she reached the rack he whirled around and handed her a pair of high-waisted jeans, a white button up, and a slim, maroon parka with fur trim. "Quick as you can please" he said, motioning toward the dressing rooms.

Julia stammered a meek thank you and followed suit, slipping into one of the rooms and slowly putting on each piece. She emerged a few minutes later, only to find the man and a few of his assistants standing in wait on the other side of the door. They quickly began fussing over her, smoothing here, pulling there, until one of them ordered her in front of a full-length mirror.

"This good?" he asked.

"Oh, uh--" Julia stammered.

"Yeah, she looks ready, bring her over" came a voice from behind her.

Julia realized, much to her embarrassment, that the question was not directed at her, and she walked over to where the photographer was standing.

"Just step in front of the camera for me" he said aloud, looking carefully at his camera and adjusting a few dials, and not making eye contact with her.

For a moment, Julia felt a deep regret at the fact that she'd agreed to this, but as soon as she stood in front of the camera, something inside of her turned on. She wasn't sure what happened, but as he lifted his lens and prepared to call out a command for her to pose, she was already lifting her hair at her temples and looking directly into the lens.

She heard as he started to say something, stopped himself, and simply clicked the camera, strobe lights flashing after each click of the button. She waited a few seconds before dropping her hair, flicking it over to one side and tilting her head as she subtly parted her lips.

Beyond the photographer Mary Jo and Charlene were watching in awe as Julia struck pose after pose, no one calling out a request or command for something different, merely clicking the button on the camera and moving the lights as necessary.

"Huh" was all Mary Jo could manage to say.

"I know! When on earth did Julia become a pro?"

"I don't know..."

"I mean they're not even telling her to do anything, she's just--"

"Mm-hm."

They watched in silence until Julia finished her portion of the shoot, stepping elegantly behind the camera and walking over to where they were waiting.

"...Y'all okay?" she asked curiously, seeing the looks on their faces.

"Yeah, we were just trying to figure out when you became a cover girl" Mary Jo said wryly, shooting Julia a glance.

"What do you mean?" Julia asked, taking a sip of water as she sat down beside them.

"I mean, we feel like awkward nobodies and you're out there working it like you did at that fashion show, except without your dress up" Charlene said, watching Julia roll her eyes at the memory.

"Don't be ridiculous, I didn't do anything you all couldn't do, you'll see" she said demurely, patting Charlene's hand encouragingly. In truth, she had to admit she did feel something when she was out there. She wasn't sure what it was, or even if it was anything she had conscientiously done, but as soon as she looked into the lens she felt like she was in a different world. She couldn't even remember being aware of anything beyond the camera, just herself, and the job at hand.

"Yeah right" Mary Jo said sarcastically, shooting Julia a smirk as she was whisked off to change. She and Charlene fumbled through their portion of the shoots, eventually becoming more comfortable with themselves and the camera, but lacking the natural poise that Julia displayed. If Charlene was being honest with herself, this frustrated her immensely. If there was one thing about Julia she sometimes resented, it was the way life sometimes seemed to offer her the opportunity to always be either right or good at everything, and now, the latter quality was really getting under her skin.

"Can you believe it, Mary Jo, yet another thing Julia gets to best us at" Charlene grumbled under her breath as they were having their makeup retouched. While Julia had shot her portion alone, Mary Jo and Charlene had both wanted to pose together, to ease the awkwardness of the experience.

"Charlene, that's not Julia's fault, she's not trying to be better, and anyway, she was nice about it."

"I know, but I can just feel it, you know? The smugness."

"Charlene," Mary Jo chuckled, "that's ridiculous."

"Oh yeah, and how so? Remember when we played the Jeopardy board game and she aced her way through that?"

"I was on her team, and you and Suzanne ended up cheating, remember?" Mary Jo said bluntly.

Charlene shifted awkwardly. "Okay, bad example. What about the time I went back to college and she acted all surprised that I was taking psychology? Or how about when I read my magazines at lunch and she says, 'Really, Charlene? The National Enquirer again?'" Charlene said, imitating Julia's husky drawl.

Mary Jo narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Charlene, what's this about?"

Charlene rolled her eyes and muttered, "Oh, nothing, nothing. It's just that sometimes I wish life would cut Julia down a peg so she would know how it feels to be the awkward wallflower, that's all."

"Guess, I see your point" Mary Jo said quietly, watching the photographer make conversation with Julia. She had to admit she did feel some twinge of jealousy, no matter how unfounded, as she watched Julia--all gorgeous dark hair, and sleek, feline figure--parade naturally in front of the camera.

Julia walked confidently over to where they were standing, and said, "Well, they're done with me, y'all. Are you still gonna shoot some more?"

"Oh yeah, we've got a few more pictures to do and then we'll be done" Charlene replied, fluffing her hair.

"Well, just remember, don't let your insecurities get the better of you. You all deserve to be there just as much as I do" Julia said as she smiled at them.

Charlene turned away from her handheld mirror and looked at Julia curiously. "Well--well what does that mean, Julia?"

Julia chuckled awkwardly. "Well, you know, you all did comment earlier that I was a natural and you all felt like 'awkward nobodies', as you put it, so I just wanted to tell you not to let that get the better of you. You all are doing fine."

"Fine? Well, Julia, no offense, but I think we're doing better than fine."

"Charlene" Mary Jo said nervously.

"Oh, well, please excuse me, what's wrong with my use of the word 'fine'?"

"Well nothing, if you consider us telling you that you're a natural, and think an acceptable compliment in return is that we're fine."

"Charlene" Mary Jo said again, nudging her this time.

"Charlene, there's no need to get so hostile simply because you're feeling insecure, I was merely pointing out--"

"I'm not feeling insecure about anything, Julia, I have nothing to feel insecure about!"

"Well your behavior would seem to suggest otherwise!"

"Y'all--" Mary Jo said, somewhat feebly.

"My behavior does nothing of the sort! And my appearance says that I do, in fact, belong here!" Charlene snapped.

"Well for someone so secure about their appearance, you sure are inexplicably hostile simply because I was better!"

"Well for someone so old--" Charlene snapped, stopping herself mid-sentence.

Julia drew her head back in shock, her mouth falling open as she struggled to process what Charlene had said.

"Oh my god" Mary Jo mumbled, watching Julia's face begin to crumble.

"Julia, I didn't--" Charlene started, drawing a hand out in front of her as if trying to stop the damage that had already been done. Before she could say anything else, Julia turned on her heels and walked away, disappearing out of sight.

Mary Jo whacked Charlene on the arm. "Charlene! What in hell was that about?"

"I--I don't know--" Charlene stammered awkwardly, fumbling as she put down the compact mirror in her hand and fiddled with her clothes.

"Well are you going to go after her?"

Before Charlene could answer they saw Julia emerge from the dressing room, hand her clothes to an assistant, and disappear through the side doors that led to the parking lot.

"Shoot!" Charlene cried, wringing her hands nervously.

"Maybe it's for the better," Mary Jo said quietly, touching her arm, "give her some time to cool off before you see her tomorrow morning."

"If I'm even allowed in the office still" Charlene mumbled, fidgeting nervously.

"I just don't get it, Charlene, I mean, what got into you, we were having so much fun..." Mary Jo said, looking at her friend curiously.

Charlene didn't reply, looking down at her hands awkwardly as she heard the photographer call her name. Truthfully, she wasn't even sure herself what had come over her, and she hated even more that she had to acknowledge that the release of emotion had felt good...but at what price?


	5. Chapter 5

Anthony pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, heaving a sigh as he grabbed his briefcase and began walking toward the steps leading to his unit. As he crossed the pavement, he noticed Julia's car sitting over to the right, narrowing his eyes curiously. He noticed that she wasn't inside, and figured she had used the key he'd given her months ago to let herself in. He furrowed his brow in confusion as he walked up the stairs and unlocked the front door, remembering that they'd agreed to meet tomorrow morning for breakfast, and having noticed that the clock on his dash had read 7:45 pm when he'd pulled in.

He stepped inside and dropped his coat on the rack and his briefcase by the hall table as he called out, "Julia?" He walked a few steps into his apartment, shoving his shoes against the wall before finding her on the sofa, her tear-stained face looking down at one of the couch pillows.

"Baby, what happened? Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned voice, walking over to where she was and sitting opposite her on the coffee table.

Julia sniffled, wiping away another tear as Anthony looked curiously at her face. "Julia, what's wrong?" he asked, brushing her hair away from her face and over her shoulder.

"Nothing" she said, sniffling again, "it appears that I'm too old to model, so I just decided to come over here and wait until I die, which should be any minute now."

Anthony narrowed his eyes and asked, "Well who the hell said you were too old?", already feeling himself preparing for a fight.

Julia pulled at the pillow and inhaled slowly before looking at him and saying in a soft voice, "Charlene."

At this, Anthony drew his head back in surprise and confusion. "Charlene?"

"Mm-hm" Julia mumbled, looking down again.

Anthony shook his head and rested a hand on his hip. "Well, are you sure, because that doesn't sound like something Charlene--"

"She said it straight to my face, Anthony, how much more sure could I possibly be?" Julia snapped, feeling angry that he had even asked the question.

Anthony reached out a hand and rested it on her shoulder. "Okay, alright, baby, I'm just trying to make sure that I have all the facts here before I make any judgments, okay?" he said, looking at her carefully.

"Well what do you need to know, Anthony? I'll be glad to clarify! I was modeling, I was good at it, I was trying something new, and then Charlene decided to tell me that I apparently look like Grandma Moses and have no business being a model!" Julia snapped, crossing her arms angrily as she glared at him.

Anthony cocked a brow and tilted his head, meeting her steely gaze with a firm one of his own. "Julia, please don't get upset. I'm just trying to help you, but when you get upset with me, when I have nothing to do with what happened, you make that really, really hard" he said in a stern, yet gentle tone.

Julia paused, shifting her gaze to the wall before exhaling and dropping her arms. "You're right, I'm sorry" she said quietly, looking at him bashfully.

"It's okay" Anthony said, reaching his arms out to her and waiting until she slid over toward him and hugged him. She rested her chin on his shoulder, sniffling again, and squeezed him gratefully as he said, "Are you sure this isn't just one big misunderstanding? You know Charlene, she's not mean-spirited, she's just emotional, like someone else I know." He said this last part as she pulled away from him, looking at her in a gentle, yet playful manner and watching a small smile creep over her face, which she tried to hide under her hair.

"Like I said, Anthony, she did say it straight to my face" Julia protested, more gently this time.

"I know, baby, I know, but sometimes an argument can spring from somewhere else, and we all know Charlene would never say something just to be mean, I'm saying maybe there's something else going on here."

"Like what?"

Anthony cocked a brow as he looked at her. "Well, Miss Thing, that's kind of for you to find out. Now you know I'm always here to help you, but I don't want to be involved in y'all's problems more than I need to be. This is for you, and Charlene, to work out between yourselves."

Julia looked at her lap as she thought this over, fiddling with her hands before looking up at him and smiling. "Do you always have to be so sensible, you're making me look bad" she said playfully, nudging him with her foot.

Anthony smirked back at her as he replied, "Well, baby, goodness knows one of the two of us has to be the voice of reason."

Julia giggled in spite of herself and shot him a look. "Now, now, you certainly have had your moments over the years too."

"Yeah, come to think of it...that started when I came to work with y'all" Anthony said, nodding. "So my problem seems to stem from an excessive level of women in my work environment."

Julia whacked him with a pillow and shook her head, turning away to put the pillows back neatly and wipe at her face, trying to remove the remaining smears of eye shadow and mascara. Anthony smiled as he watched her, and said quietly, "You know what else started because I work with y'all?"

"What?" Julia asked, throwing him a wry look.

"My relationship with you."

Julia pulled at her sweater and blushed, hugging him once more as she planted a kiss on his lips before pulling away. "Since you were nice enough to talk me through my problem, I will now be getting out of your hair and on to my own home."

Anthony smirked, watching as she rose to her feet, and following her toward the door. "You can stay over, Julia, it's no big deal."

Julia slid into her heels and looked at him carefully before stepping forward and placing her hands on his chest. "No, no I need to be going home. You and I talked before about my getting a grip on my insecurities, and what you said about me handling this on my own makes a lot of sense. You and I will be seeing each other tomorrow before work and spending time together then, but what you need now is a quiet home, a shower, and a good nights sleep. I will be fine, I can manage."

Anthony wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her gently before letting her go as she opened the door to his apartment and stepped outside. She furrowed her brow in confusion as he followed her out, shutting the door behind him.

"Anthony--"

"What? You don't think I'd let you walk to your car by yourself in the dark, now did you? I know you're an independent woman and all, but you're still my girl, and Dondi didn't raise no fool. After you" he said, ushering her down the stairs.

Julia smirked to herself, crossing the lot and opening her car door, turning to him before getting inside. "I'll see you tomorrow, my love" she said quietly, kissing him again as she slid behind the wheel.

"Okay baby, drive safe. Don't overthink everything, it'll work itself out."

She smiled as he gently shut her door, waving to him before disappearing into the dark, Georgia night. Anthony smiled to himself as he climbed back up the stairs, locking the door behind him and going about his evening routine. Julia may have been a lot to handle sometimes, but she was his lot to handle, and he knew always that no matter how much he shook his head at her, he loved her doubly much, and was grateful for everyday that she was in his life.


	6. Chapter 6

Anthony grabbed his coffee mug from the counter, sipping it slowly as he crossed the floor of Sugarbaker's. It was a little after 9 am, and Julia had already had to rush out of the office to meet a client before they opened, leaving Anthony to man the home front until everyone got in. About 30 minutes later, the front door swung open and Mary Jo and Charlene scurried in, having stopped by the office supply store for a few things before heading in to work.

"Morning y'all" Anthony called from his place behind his desk.

"Hey Anthony, sorry we're late, you know the lines at that damn Office Plus are a nightmare" Mary Jo grumbled, dropping her bag on her desk and sitting down.

Charlene fumbled awkwardly with the supplies, sliding them into the drawer at her desk before slowly making her way towards Anthony. "Um, Anthony, can--can I talk to you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Sure, Charlene, what's up?" he asked, raising his head from his work to look at her.

"Well, well, something sort of...happened...between Julia and I at the fashion shoot yesterday, and I was sort of hoping I could get your advice."

Anthony shook his head as he laid his pencil on his desk and sat up straight. "No, no, Charlene, now I already had a talk with Julia about this--"

"She told you what I said?!"

"She told me what you said, and I told her that this was your business, and I was going to stay out of it. Now, I'm not trying to be mean, but this is between you and Julia, and I think it's only fair if the two of you solve your own problem."

"Oh, Anthony, I just feel so bad!" Charlene said, fidgeting nervously.

Anthony raised his hands and said, "I know, I know you do. I told her that it's not like you to be mean for sport, and that there was probably something else going on."

Charlene sighed in embarrassment. "Oh, thank you, Anthony. You know I think Julia is just gorgeous--I never meant to hurt her feelings, I've been a wreck all weekend."

Anthony nodded. "I know, Charlene. For what it's worth, I think Julia's just as gorgeous as you do" he said teasingly.

"Is she here yet?"

"Well, she was, but we got interrupted by a client, so she had to leave and I've been holding down the fort over here by myself."

"Where's Suzanne?" Mary Jo called to him from her desk as she rummaged through her purse.

"She's out running her Mercedes through the wash in preparation for our big meeting today. We're hoping to break out the big guns and end this showdown" Anthony said, cocking a brow. He had to admit, he couldn't wait to be done with their account and get back to lunches and evenings with Julia.

Around 10 am, Suzanne rolled in, car washed and hair freshly done. Charlene was busy in the storeroom filing invoices as Julia swept in about thirty minutes later, walking swiftly to her desk and dropping her bag in her chair. "Hey y'all, sorry I had to leave you alone, Anthony, did you manage okay?" she asked, dropping her coat on the rack and making her way over to his desk.

He leaned forward, waiting for her to get closer before replying. "Yes I did, Julia, no worries. Charlene is in the storeroom" he said softly, looking pointedly at her.

Julia fidgeted nervously, fumbling with her suit jacket. "Oh, well...well, okay."

Anthony smiled gently at her. "She feels really bad about what happened between the two of you."

Julia inhaled deeply and looked at him carefully, reaching a hand toward him and stroking his hand. "Thank you, honey" she said softly.

"You got it, baby. Now go on, take care of business so things can get back to normal."

Julia smiled, stopping briefly at the door to the storeroom as she took a deep breath and slowly stepped inside, seeing Charlene hunched over the filing cabinet, her back to the door.

"Charlene?" Julia called softly, closing the door behind her.

Charlene whirled her head around, shutting the drawer to the filing cabinet. "Oh, Julia! I--"

Julia held up her hand, standing behind the storeroom table and resting her hands on the small chair that was slid underneath it. "Listen, Charlene. I've given this a lot of thought, and I want you to know, you're not fired or even in trouble for what you said."

"Oh, Julia, thank you, I can't--"

"Wait, wait, I'm not finished" Julia said, looking down briefly before looking back at Charlene. "I just want to know, why? Why did you say what you said to me? I know we've been friends for a long time, but..." Julia trailed off, looking down in drawing in a teary, shaky breath. "You really hurt my feelings, Charlene."

Charlene bit back tears as she stepped forward, standing on the opposite end of the table. "I'm so sorry, Julia. I...I don't know. I just..." she trailed off nervously, wringing her hands. "I guess I let my jealousy get the better of me."

"Jealousy?"

"Yeah."

"Well what on earth are you jealous of, Charlene?"

Charlene sighed, shaking her head. "Are you kidding, Julia, look at you. You're gorgeous, funny, have a boyfriend that absolutely adores you, and now you can add supermodel to the list! And I'm over here, a complete wallflower, trying to shed my baby weight--still!--and can barely take a head shot!"

Julia smiled bashfully, walking over to where Charlene was standing and grabbing her hands. "Now, Charlene, you know that's not true, and I never intended to make you feel bad."

"I know, Julia, I'm sorry, it's my fault" Charlene said, wrapping her arms around Julia.

Julia pulled away gently after a few moments, studying Charlene carefully. "Charlene, is this anything I can help you with?"

"Oh, no, Julia, it's fine" Charlene said shyly, staring at her shoes.

Julia hesitated, grabbing Charlene's hands and sitting down, nodding to Charlene to sit in the chair opposite hers. "Charlene, can I let you in on a little secret?"

"Well, sure, Julia, what is it?" Charlene asked, cocking her head curiously.

Julia let go of her hands, resting on arm atop the table. "When I first started dating Anthony, I was an insecure wreck. I know you all never saw it, but the truth is...I struggled a lot with my confidence, I just never let it show because I was ashamed."

"Why, Julia, I can't even imagine..."

"I know, I know. Seems silly, doesn't it?" Julia said, looking away momentarily and shrugging her shoulders. "Well, Anthony became wise to me and my oh so carefully hidden problems and sat me down one day a few months after we'd started dating and said to me, 'Julia, I'm gonna tell you something you're not gonna like to hear, but I want to say it anyway'."

"What was that?"

Julia smiled at the memory, tugging at her bracelet before continuing. "He said, 'Julia, you know that I'm falling in love with you, but there's something here that's holding me back...'". Julia paused, inhaling slowly. "He said, 'I want us to be happy together, but I know we can never be happy if you're not happy with yourself, and if we're going to make a go of things, then I need you to be kinder to yourself, because the way things are now...every time I try to love you, all you do is break yourself apart."

Charlene bit her lip. "Oh, Julia..."

Julia smirked. "That's some man I've got, isn't it?"

Charlene looked at Julia in surprise. "You know, I had no idea that you ever felt self-conscious, I mean..."

"Oh, I know. You know me, I'll hide a problem under a rock before I admit I have one" she said, smiling wryly. "Well, anyway, ever since then, little by little, I've had to work on building my confidence and self-esteem because as much as I liked picking myself apart, I liked Anthony a lot more and...well...it just didn't seem fair to make him suffer because I couldn't figure out how to love myself."

Charlene smiled gratefully at Julia, taking her hand and squeezing it. "You're right, I see what you're gettin' at."

"You know your mama and daddy would come straight down here from Poplar Bluff if they ever found out your self-confidence wasn't where it should be."

"Oh I know," Charlene said brightly, "it's nothing they need to worry about. No, I've got to do what you did and work at myself on my own. The truth is, ever since I had Olivia, well I've just worried myself to death over the littlest bit of fat here or there that I didn't have before."

"Well, has Bill made any fuss about it?"

"Oh no, no, of course not!" Charlene said, shaking her head. "Why, Bill tells me all the time how good I look."

Julia smiled gently. "Take it from me--it might be time that you believe him. With time, things will get back to where you want, but they won't get there by worryin' and frettin', I can tell you that. Believe me."

Charlene smiled at Julia. "Thank you so much, Julia, you're just the best friend I could've ever hoped for."

Julia stood, waving her hand modestly. "Oh, don't be silly. Mary Jo's the best friend you could ever hope for, I'm just a kindly fairy godmother with a little life experience to help you all along."

Charlene stood, wringing her hands nervously. "So are we okay?" she asked carefully.

Julia winked as she rubbed her arm. "Of course we are. You just think about what I said, and stop beating yourself up."

"Thanks, Julia."

Julia smiled and turned, walking gracefully out of the storeroom. Anthony looked up, hearing her heels tapping lightly on the floor. "Well, how'd it go, baby?" he asked quietly, looking at her curiously.

She smiled, brushing her fingers gently through his hair as she looked at him. "Just fine, everything is a'okay."

"Well good. I was starting to wonder if I was gonna have to play go-between for you both in these troubled waters."

Julia chuckled, shaking her head as she looked lovingly at him. "Anthony?" she said softly.

"Yes, baby?"

"Thank you for being my best friend."

Anthony reached out his arms, wrapping them around her waist as she laid her head atop his head and giggled. "Well you're my best friend too, Julia."

"Hey, hey, y'all get off each other, this is a place of business" Suzanne said, waving her hand at them before turning back around to her sketch book.

Julia smirked, giggling as Anthony pulled playfully at her hand before letting her go. "Hey y'all, what say you we all sit down and look at the proofs from our photo shoot?"

"Are you serious, they're done already?" Mary Jo asked, sitting up eagerly in her chair.

"I thought you had to meet with a client this morning!" Anthony said, popping his brows in surprise.

"Wellll, I did, but our photographer called me after I came home Sunday night, said the proofs would be ready by this morning. They're not done, not touched up yet or anything, but, y'know..." Julia said, smiling shyly as she walked over to her desk and picked up a manila envelope.

Mary Jo called for Charlene, who came swiftly out of the storeroom asking, "What, what?"

"Our proofs are ready, Julia picked them up this morning!" Mary Jo said excitedly, huddling in between Suzanne and Anthony as Julia took her place on Anthony's other side, sliding the pictures out of the folder and handing Mary Jo and Charlene's shots over to her.

Mary Jo grabbed them excitedly as Charlene rushed around the sofa, plopping down beside Suzanne and giddily squealing as she squeezed her arm.

"Alright, alright, no need to get handsy!" Suzanne said, shoving her lightly.

"Oh wow..." Mary Jo said, staring curiously at the photos.

"What is it, Mary Jo?" Julia asked quietly, watching as Anthony stared in awe at her pictures.

"These are actually...these are actually really nice. I mean, hell, we actually look really good."

"Yeah, these are gorgeous!" Charlene sighed, taking a photo from the pile Mary Jo had on her lap.

Julia watched silently as Anthony flipped slowly through the photographs, holding up one in front of him, the first shot she'd taken, with her hair swept off her temples and her grey eyes staring intensely at the camera. She waited for him to say anything, watching as he looked at the photo intently.

"...Anthony...?" she asked curiously, feeling slightly nervous that he hadn't said anything yet.

"Holy cow" he said finally, leaning forward on his knees and clutching the photograph between his fingers.

Julia blushed and turned away, shifting awkwardly as her friends stared at him and shot each other playful looks.

"Anthony" she said, trying to stifle a grin.

"Nice, huh?" Mary Jo cracked from her side of the sofa.

"Mary Jo!" Julia cried, blushing an even deeper shade of red.

"He's right, Julia," Charlene said teasingly, "you are what most men's dreams are made of."

"Y'all!" Julia cried in embarrassment as Anthony got up from the sofa and walked over to the telephone. "Anthony, where are you going?"

"Are you kiddin'?" he asked as he picked up the receiver. "I'm going to call Dondi and tell her I'm dating a model, and then I'm going to call every single one of my classmates and tell them to meet me at Dillard's in two weeks when those prints go up in the store" he said, already dialing Dondi's phone number.

"Anthony!" Julia cried, biting her lip as she tried to stifle a smirk.

"I told you, he's got the hots for youuuu" Charlene said, winking at Julia.

Julia rolled her eyes, by now having flushed a deep shade of red as she watched him wait for Dondi to answer.

"Dondi? Hi, it's me Anthony" he said seriously, leaning against the desk as he looked at the photo.

"Oh my word" Julia said, hiding her face in her hands and shaking her head as she listened to him.

"Dondi, let me tell you somethin', I tell you I have made it. I am officially a man, I have reached the other side of the tracks, the uppermost echelon of society, I am rolling with the big guys now. ...What do I mean? Well, Julia was chosen to model for Dillard's for their ladies wear for fall, and the photographs just came in, and let me tell you what, this girl is it! She's a firecracker, she's the new It Girl she's--huh? ...Yes ma'am...No ma'am, it was not my intent to be boisterous and childish at work in front of Julia and on the phone with you...Yes ma'am, goodbye." Anthony hung up the phone sheepishly and turned around to look at Julia. "Dondi said I need to apologize for my unprofessional behavior, and to refrain from further inappropriate outbursts and lewd comments in the office."

"Thank GOD, someone else but me has finally said it!" Suzanne cried, smacking her hand on the sofa. "Julia, I told you, since you all started dating you've both become completely intolerable!"

"Suzanne?" Julia said, leaning forward to look at her from the other end of the sofa.

"What?"

"Shut up" Julia said, leaning coyly back against the sofa as Anthony came to sit back down beside her, giggling as he bashfully hung his head in mock shame as she laid her head against his shoulder.

"Julia?" he said, staring intently at her picture.

"What?" she asked giggling as she snuggled against him.

"Baby, you are it!"


End file.
